BY JULIA PUGACHEVSKY |
Where to Volunteer Today
Want to lend a hand today? This list of events -- both annual and year-round -- offers a variety of ways you can help our beloved NYC.
12 years ago, our city experienced a wound that still remains fresh. But while NYC was the victim of an unspeakable tragedy, it is also a place to heal and to help, with volunteers working to commemorate the lives lost on September 11th, 2001.
Whether you're looking for a way to donate your time today or are searching for something more long-term, this list should have something for you:
Today:
Memorial Beautification Project
New Dorp Beach (Staten Island), 9:00AM-3:00PM
Volunteers plant flowers, dig garden beds, spread mulch and help with landscaping at the Yellow Boots Memorial. Volunteers should wear closed-toed shoes and clothes they don’t mind getting dirty.
Serve dinner for DOROT’s Homelessness Prevention Program (HPP)
DOROT’s HPP facility, 5:00PM-7:30PM
Show your support by sponsoring, preparing and serving dinner to 35-40 DOROT residents and Aftercare clients. Sponsorship is $900 to cover food and supplies; volunteering is free. For more information, contact Director of Volunteer Services Judith Turner at jturner@dorotusa.org.
9/11 Day of Service Networking Workshop
120 Broadway, 7th Floor, 5:30PM-8:00PM
Volunteers with a professional background or experience in career services can help facilitate a Personal Branding Workshop. Volunteers will teach participants on how to market themselves, and will moderate a speed-networking activity to teach attendees how to do the “elevator speech” – where they must make a positive first impression in a very limited amount of time.
Cents Ability 9/11 Day of Service
Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, 12:00PM-3:00PM, 5:00PM-8:00PM
Help teach a financial literacy course to low-income adults. You’ll teach attendees how to set financial goals, track one’s income and expenditures as well as stretch one’s budget. Classes will be held at three different locations: FEGS Health and Human Services, Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty and Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services. For more information, contact Rachael Cline at cliner@ujafedny.org or 212-836-1339
Year-Round:
Create Your Own Pledge
Add to this “quilt” by creating your own pledge for 9/11, whether it involves thanking a firefighter or simply doing something nice for your family.
The Healing and Emergency Response Team is a 9/11 commemorative effort that takes place all year round, from helping renovate the homes of those who served in the Iraq War to helping rebuild a local soccer center. This is an excellent opportunity for volunteers who want to provide physical labor or technical expertise.
Visitor Services at the 9/11 Memorial is always in need of compassionate and reliable volunteers. If you are able to commit to at least 12 hours a month for 3 months, you can schedule an orientation and join a team of volunteers who have made a long-term commitment to helping visitors cope with 9/11.
